Project Scorpio Will Run Microsoft Games at Native 4K Resolution

By Derek Nichols 15 February 2018

In a recent interview, Microsoft Studios Publishing general manager Shannon Loftis confirms that all first-party Xbox One Project Scorpio titles will run at native 4K.

Choice seems to be a word that can accurately describe this current console generation as both Microsoft and Sony are in the process of releasing new hardware models for its consoles. Already, fans have seen the Xbox One S alongside a new PlayStation 4 Slim, and soon upgraded variants like the recently revealed PlayStation 4 Pro will arrive. Since Sony’s reveal event, Microsoft has not hesitated in pushing back with more news about its upcoming console, codenamed Project Scorpio, and how that system will continue to be the world’s most powerful console when it launches.

Microsoft Studios Publishing general manager Shannon Loftis continued this trend in a recent interview, confirming that first party titles that are made for Xbox One Project Scorpio will run at native 4K. At this time, this piece of news only affects first-party Microsoft games and it’s unclear on what third-party titles will be doing once the console arrives on store shelves.

“Any games we’re making that we’re launching in the Scorpio time frame, we’re making sure they can natively render at 4K.”

The news comes on the heels of Sony receiving criticism for misleading consumers over the fact that the PlayStation 4 Pro will need to upscale its games to 4K instead of natively rendering them. Sony executive Andrew House came out to counter these claims saying that the term to describe the process doesn’t matter as much as whether or not players actually see a difference with the product.

The biggest difference between Project Scorpio and PlayStation 4 Pro outside of hardware however is the fact that Sony is launching its upgraded hardware later this year, while Microsoft is giving its development team another whole year to work. While it’s easy to assume Sony could have matched Microsoft if the Pro launched next year, the release date for PlayStation VR and the need for hardware to run it appears to have been a deciding factor.

With Sony make a number of perceived missteps over the past few weeks, Microsoft has been all too happy to slide in to take advantage. The head scratching began when Sony revealed that its new Pro console would not include 4K Blu-ray playback, something that Microsoft made sure fans new the Xbox One S could do. Further PR damage continued last week when Bethesda revealed that Sony decided to ultimately reject mod use for both Fallout 4 and the upcoming The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. Once more, Microsoft was all too eager to swoop in and remind fans that all mods are available on the Xbox One version.

Are you going to check out the PlayStation 4 Pro, or are you holding out for more information on the mysterious Project Scorpio? Let us know your thoughts below.

Project Scorpio currently does not have a release date but is expected sometime later in 2017.